This invention resides in the field of the sport of golf, and more particularly relates to a device for the act of training for, and practicing hitting a golf ball with a golf club, the device being a portable and automatic teeing device which automatically puts a golf ball on a tee.
In order to improve their games, many golfers are keen on practicing their strokes at driving ranges or other settings besides an actual golf course. In either case there are several aspects of a golfer""s game that become necessary to practice. The first, and most obvious, aspect is the swing, which encompasses the back swing, follow-through, and the motion of the arms and club during the swing. The second aspect is the interaction between the golfer and the club, or more commonly called, the grip. This aspect includes the position of the hands on the club, the spacing and interaction of both hands, and the tightness of the grip on the club. The final aspect is the stance of the golfer. The stance includes the distance between the ball and the golfer, the spacing and position of the feet, the bend of the knees, the posture of the upper body, and finally the position of the head.
With so many variables to keep in mind, the golfer must hold some variables constant to focus on ones which are problematic. However, in the act of practicing, the golfer is usually unable to keep any variables constant because of the need to constantly bend over and put a new ball on the tee. When being taught by a golf instructor, the pupil is better able to concentrate on the fine points of the swing, stance, and grip because the instructor puts the ball on the tee each time.
The prior art in this field is very diverse, but it can divided into two general categories: mechanically operated and electrically operated machines.
The mechanically operated machines tend to be much less expensive than the electric machines, but the mechanical machines are rarely fully automatic because they require the golfer to exert some extra motion to tee the next ball. For example U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,475 to Luna (1998) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,582,325 to Janier (1996) both depend on an additional motion from the golfer to tee the next ball. Moreover, the mechanical devices are usually not as reliable because they require so many moving parts connected by many links, and if one part is broken, stuck, rusted, etc., the entire machine will cease to operate. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,464,223 to Dermott (1995) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,602,789 to Chung (1986), both designs have many moving parts connected by gears, levers, and links. Additionally the mechanical machines tend to be less consistent, and it is not uncommon for two or more balls to be released from the machine at the same time. This inconsistency is due to the different input forces and movements made by the user. For instance if the golfer holds the lever or pedal down too long, more balls will be released.
The electrically operated machines are generally more reliable because they consist of very few moving parts along with some circuitry and sensors. However, they tend to be more expensive than the mechanical machines. Electrical machines also tend to be less portable, because their methods of sensing the ball on the tee usually require some hardware around or under the tee. Besides the presence of the hardware, there is also the matter of protecting the expensive hardware from errant swings. Therefore, the sensors, which can be optical, pressure, or magnetic, are usually located underneath the tee, protected by a platform on which the golfer stands. For this reason the electrical machines are frequently permanently installed. For example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,662,526 to Sutherlin (1997) there is a pneumatic piston located beneath the tee. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,351,964 to Kruger (1994) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,401 to Fehrenbach (1992) the apparatus extends a significant distance into the ground, making them non-portable.
There are several patents, however, which share the same goals as this invention. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,299 to Petrillo, there is a photosensor located in the rubber tee to determine whether a new ball is needed. It also calls for a ball delivery arm to be driven by a motor. Each new ball is placed in the end of the arm, requiring the arm to travel 180 degrees to get the ball to the tee.
Two other patents of the prior art have similar designs, especially regarding the control system. U.S. Pat. No. 6,375,580 to Schmidt, et al, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,895,325 to Tomey both use sensors of different types to determine whether or not a ball is on the tee and have different ways of delivering the ball to the tee. These devices utilize a sliding arm that moves in and out of the machine on a linear path. Since the ball is on the arm in the same linear path, there needs to be some other motion to get the ball down to the tee. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,375,580 the entire arm is connected to the motor with a linkage system which drops the arm slightly after extending to the tee. This drop in the arm leaves the ball on the tee while the arm goes back to the machine. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,895,325 the arm brings the ball directly over the tee, and then a spring-controlled release mechanism on the end of the arm allows the ball to drop into place on the tee.
The device of this invention consists of a base, a ball storage unit or hopper, a ball scoop leading to a ball delivery arm, a control system, an artificial turf mat along with a rubber tee, a handle, two wheels, and an outer housing to enclose the entire device.
In one embodiment the device is electrically operated and it gets its power from a rechargeable battery. Its means for sensing a golf ball""s presence on the tee is a sensor mounted on the device. The sensor senses a reflection from the ball, and when the ball is gone, the sensor sends a signal for the device to put a new ball on the tee. In using this embodiment there are no special tees or sensors under the tee. Therefore a golfer can set up the device at a driving range and use the mat and tee provided by the range, but when the golfer is at home, the device can also use the mat and tee that come with the device.
In a second embodiment an alternative means for sensing a golf ball""s presence on the tee is used which is a photoelectric sensor located inside the rubber tee. The tee used in this embodiment is a standard driving range rubber tee, as opposed to other inventions that use special tees which connect to other apparatus or sensors below the ground. By placing the sensor in the tee, however, it becomes susceptible to damage from the repeated blows from the golf club. This problem is solved by surrounding the sensor with a clear epoxy to cushion the blows from the club. When the tee finally fatigues, as all rubber tees do, it is very simple and inexpensive to replace the tee and sensor. Since there are no connections or sensors beneath the tee, the golfer gets to stand on the same plane as the bottom of the tee, instead of hitting from a tee that is sitting an inch above the ground.
In another embodiment, the device can have its own artificial turf mat attached to the bottom of the device. With this mat the golfer can use the device on any relatively level surfacexe2x80x94not just grass. The mat, however, as discussed above, can be detachable so that the device could be used at a driving range where an artificial turf mat already exists.
The only part of the device that moves is the ball delivery arm and the scoop, which are connected by a snap fit so that if the arm is hit by the golfer, it will break away from the scoop. The scoop is designed so that only one ball can be in it at a time and once it has picked a ball, it blocks the rest of the balls in the ball track so that no more balls can come out.
The arm operates by depositing the ball at one end and having it roll down to the other end of the arm during the 90 degree path of travel of the arm, ending up at the tee. The advantage of this new design is that the counter-weighting of the arm by the ball receipt portion of the arm helps the arm return to its original state after delivering a ball to the tee. Since the counter weight helps pull the arm back up, the motor is spared some work and therefore the battery lasts longer. One further benefit of my design is that the depth of the device in my design can be much smaller since it does not have to house the length of the arm in the depth dimension. In my design the arm stays in an upright position when it is not putting a ball on the tee. The depth of the device is very important in driving ranges because the spaces between the mats and their dividing walls are usually at a minimum. Additionally, the base of the device has two wheels at one end and a handle at the opposite end so that the entire device can be wheeled around in a similar motion to a suitcase with wheels. The advantage of the design of the present invention is that the arm is the only moving part instead of having several links moving in relation to each other or a spring-controlled gate in addition to the arm. A second advantage of the present invention over the sliding arm type machines of the prior art is that the depth of the device in my design can be much shorter for the same reasons stated previously.